Horses as Healers

An overview of different equine therapy techniques

Above: Horses, Iceland

During the pandemic, the ASPCA reported 25 million households or 1 in 5 adopted a pet in America coinciding with a 25% increase in depression and anxiety according to the World Health Organization. 

Animals are widely accepted as benefitting humans, from assisting in learning at schools and providing comfort in hospitals and nursing homes to improving mental health. Support animals aren’t restricted to dogs; cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses are commonly used. 

Equine therapy requires an experienced professional to guide the individual through equine therapy's physical and psychological processes and is divided into sections based on specific treatment goals the patient wants to achieve. 

Hippotherapy is used to improve sensory processing and combat neurological and physical disorders, the rider works with the natural motion of the horse to receive motor-sensor input. 

Equine-assisted psychotherapy treats patients with diagnoses such as PTSD, grief, anxiety, and often those who have been through trauma. This process requires both an experienced horse handler and a licensed psychotherapist who work in cooperation with the client.

The final two subdivisions of equine therapy are similar: therapeutic horseback riding (THR) and equine-assisted learning both use the process of taking care of and working with the animal to gain confidence, social skills, increased trust, and better self-control. 

Above: Riding lesson in progress at Legacy Horsemanship, Oahu

Often through these processes - though they all differ based on physical restrictions and available resources - a client is paired with a particular horse and begins with groundwork before moving on to riding. 

Groundwork is highly important for all riders and involves basic care and exercises that can be performed from the ground such as brushing, feeding, handling, and lunging (circle work). Each of these exercises works in establishing a connection and sense of trust in both horse and rider. 

Multiple locations on Oahu offer different equine therapy options, Happy Trails located in Haleiwa, Therapeutic Horsemanship Hawaii (THH) in Waimanalo, and Sunset Ranch in Pupukea.

Above: Legacy Horsemanship’s Hekili